Tom Cruise's 'Cruel' Response to Nicole Kidman's Divorce Revealed — Years After He Was Savaged Over Their Split

Tom Cruise has told friends he feels "vindicated" by the collapse of Nicole Kidman's marriage to Keith Urban – more than two decades after he was publicly cast as the villain in their own high-profile divorce.

The Mission: Impossible star, 63, has been following the news of Kidman's split closely, with insiders claiming he believes "karma" has finally caught up with his ex-wife, 58, who filed for divorce from Urban, also 58, last month after nearly 20 years of marriage. The pair share two daughters, Faith, 17, and Sunday Rose, 14.

Sources close to Cruise say the actor sees the public unraveling of Kidman's second marriage as a case of history repeating itself – though he has also privately expressed sympathy for her situation.

One insider said: "When Tom and Nicole split, he caught all the blame and she got all the sympathy. He was painted as the bad guy, and that stuck with him for years. Now that things have flipped, he sees it as karma coming back around. He's not bragging about it, but he definitely sees the irony."

Once-golden showbiz couple Kidman and Urban's split has shocked Hollywood, with friends describing it as "one-sided" and "devastating" for the Moulin Rouge! actress. Rumors of tension between the pair escalated over the summer after Urban grew close to guitarist Maggie Baugh during his U.S. tour. Reports have since surfaced that he quietly moved out of their Nashville home and has been staying in a separate property nearby.

While Cruise and Kidman have had no contact for years – and are understood not to have spoken since their 2001 divorce – sources say the actor has privately told friends he feels "the truth" has finally caught up with her.

"Tom was really stung by the way Nicole handled their breakup," said a friend of the actor. "She went on TV, made digs about his height, and painted herself as the victim while he stayed silent and took the hits. Watching her face a public split now – especially with all the talk about Keith – he feels like people are finally seeing things from a different angle."

After her and Cruise's 11-year marriage ended, Kidman admitted she was "shocked" by the breakup. "I thought our life together was perfect," she said in 2012. "It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system… I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him. I was totally smitten – I fell madly, passionately in love."

Cruise, who has largely avoided public comment about his ex-wife, reportedly still harbors mixed feelings about her latest split. "Tom's not gloating about it," another source close to him said. "He genuinely sympathizes with Nicole because he knows how painful it is to have everyone dissect your private life. Still, there's a part of him that feels vindicated. He's always believed Keith was more of a rebound than the real thing."

After splitting from Kidman, Cruise married actress Katie Holmes in 2006 before their split six years later. He was most recently linked to Knives Out star Ana de Armas, 37, but that relationship has also crumbled due to Cruise's "intensity" and desire to get married too quickly.